Photography Contest
LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
ArtTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
To qualify to enter the competition, you must be over 18 years of age.Entry Fees |
1st image free, $35/5 imagesPrizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
LensCultureThe LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026 celebrate visionary image-makers who work with photography and photographic practices to create stunning new works of art. We welcome photographers and artists from every corner of the world to share work that surprises, challenges, delights, or expands our appreciation of the photographic medium.
There are no strict rules for this award. We’re excited to see every kind of creative approach — from conceptual and experimental projects, to prints made for gallery walls, to analog materials, montage, cameraless techniques, and new forms. If your work pushes boundaries, invents its own language, or blends photography with other media, this competition is for you.
What matters most is your unique vision — and the mastery with which you bring that vision to life.
Winners will be exhibited in New York during The Photography Show, celebrated online in LensCulture, featured in international press, awarded cash prizes, and gain access to powerful career-boosting opportunities. Read on to meet our international jury and learn how to enter.
We’re eager to discover new voices in art photography — and we warmly invite you to participate in our global community of creative thinkers, makers and photography lovers.
conceptual • experimental • cameraless • alternative process • narrative • cinematic • analog • found imagery • abstract • classic • still life • portraiture • environmental • mixed media
$10,000 in Cash Awards
There are no strict rules for this award. We’re excited to see every kind of creative approach — from conceptual and experimental projects, to prints made for gallery walls, to analog materials, montage, cameraless techniques, and new forms. If your work pushes boundaries, invents its own language, or blends photography with other media, this competition is for you.
What matters most is your unique vision — and the mastery with which you bring that vision to life.
Winners will be exhibited in New York during The Photography Show, celebrated online in LensCulture, featured in international press, awarded cash prizes, and gain access to powerful career-boosting opportunities. Read on to meet our international jury and learn how to enter.
We’re eager to discover new voices in art photography — and we warmly invite you to participate in our global community of creative thinkers, makers and photography lovers.
conceptual • experimental • cameraless • alternative process • narrative • cinematic • analog • found imagery • abstract • classic • still life • portraiture • environmental • mixed media
$10,000 in Cash Awards
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #55/Women
$1,000 cash prizes | Winning image(s) published in AAP Magazine #55 | Extensive press coverage and global recognition
© Jacque Rupp
Best Photography Contests in 2024
Each year, there are hundreds of photography competitions all over the world, so we've decided to select for you the best of the best! Our selection of the best photo contests in 2024 is thoroughly curated to help you, whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur, to help find your next creative breakthrough. These all-star competitions offer the greatest opportunities for international exposure and/or incredible financial benefits. Some of them are closing soon, so get your photo submissions in!
ENDS 03/03/26
Our 55th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme "Women".
ENDS 03/04/26
Earth Photo 2026 is now open for entries, inviting photographers and filmmakers of all ages, working anywhere in the world, to submit compelling visual stories about our planet.
ENDS 03/04/26
BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS is an international platform for photographers from all levels and genres to share their best images with the creative community in Hungary and Eastern Europe.
ENDS 03/13/26
The 28th edition of the PICTO Fashion Photography Award holds a special significance for the PICTO Foundation.
ENDS 03/13/26
The biennial Belfast Photo Festival provided the perfect platform for gaining exposure to an international audience, with previous editions having welcome over 100,000 visitors from all over the world
ENDS 03/15/26
‘On the Block’ celebrates the unposed, unfiltered, and fleeting moments that define the art of documenting everyday life, whether in dense urban streets or sleepy rural towns.
ENDS 03/16/26
The prize is endowed with €5,000 to use as the winner sees fit.
ENDS 03/17/26
Be Featured in our April 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
ENDS 03/21/26
The FORMAT Portfolio Review is returning in 2026. It will take place online on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March.
ENDS 03/29/26
Be seen, be supported, and be part of Head On Photo Festival 2026.
ENDS 03/31/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 03/31/26
Selected photobooks will be featured in Der Greif’s Articles section, including a dedicated editorial feature highlighting the project, its context, and the maker(s).
ENDS 03/31/26
Entries are open worldwide to photographers using an iPhone or iPad. Photos should not be published previously anywhere. The posts on personal accounts (Facebook, Instagram etc.) are eligible.
ENDS 04/12/26
The winner will receive a grant of $14,000 for a solo exhibition
ENDS 04/16/26
Emerging Photographers (under 30 year old ) 2 X $ 5000 grants.
ENDS 04/16/26
The main grant is open to professional photographers worldwide, one $30,000. grant
ENDS 05/07/26
The 2026 Virginia Prize, worth €10,000, will be awarded to its winner in November 2026.
ENDS 05/17/26
MonoVisions Photography Awards are an international open call for photographers using black and white medium to express their visual language.
ENDS 05/31/26
This season will feature five main categories, with ‘Family’ serving as the primary theme.
ENDS 06/15/26
Submit your best photographs now and get your chance to be one of the winners awarded in Siena!
ENDS 06/30/26
The IPA recognizes photography’s leading talents who are creating, shaping and defining the world of photography today.
ENDS 07/22/26
Submit your best work to our photo competition for a chance to win up to $11,500 in cash prizes, be selected by our curators for the PX3 exhibition in Paris and inclusion in the Annual PX3 book.